New grill to augment others---gasser or Blackstone griddle?

[betarhoalphadelta]

So... The pellet smoker thread got me thinking, because I'm in the market to replace my pellet grill with something else. Initially I thought "gasser", but there are certain things I think a Blackstone griddle might be able to do that I'd like, that a gasser would not. And my other grills (both kamados) can do those things well, but take a lot more intervention.

So here's my current setup:

• Kamado Joe Big Joe: This is my primary smoker, and what I use for "grilling" when I'm cooking a lot of stuff. It's my "do it all" cooker.
• Kamado Joe Joe Jr: This is a grill that's great for searing, for smaller cooks, etc when I want the high heat but don't want to use as much charcoal as I need to fill the Big Joe. This is VERY often used for pork tenderloin, for things like grilled flank steak, and so far has been used for burgers. For a few things it seems like my family (my eldest son eats like a T-Rex) is going to make it harder to cook things that I need to cook there.
• [Very old] Traeger pellet grill: This basically fits as the "weeknight" cooker when I don't want to mess with charcoal or waiting on the grills to come up to temp. Limited IMHO as I don't use it as a smoker, nor can I sear on it. But one advantage it DOES have is as an outdoor oven when I sear steak on the Joe Jr and then move them indirect onto the Traeger to finish--especially when my wife has the oven occupied by other stuff for dinner.

Looking to replace the Traeger. What I need is a quick "weeknight" grill that we can easily bring up to temp, can be used for cooking/searing, and generally covers everything we need when we don't want to mess with charcoal and the kamado.

Initially I thought "maybe that should be a gasser." But as I think more about it, I'm not sure a gasser differentiates itself enough from the Big Joe in capability, and that I might be leaving something on the table by not thinking about a Blackstone, which can do things that a gasser (or a kamado) can't do all that well.

So I'm rethinking it. And I'd like to get some ideas... Here's what I see about the advantages / disadvantages of each.

• Gasser: Pros: Gives me a high-heat direct cooking option for searing or other high-temp cooks w/o messing with charcoal. Provides the low-heat indirect cooking (by running one burner and leaving others off) I'd like to have if I'm searing steaks hard on the Joe Jr and then need to finish indirect at lower temp. Good for some of those quick weeknight cooks like pork tenderloin or flank steak which are common. Easy for my wife to start and operate if I'm out of the house and she wants to do it (she doesn't do kamado). Cons: Not a lot of differentiation in capability from my kamados, only differentiation in ease of use.
• Blackstone: Pros: Gives me a high-heat searing capability on a flat cooking surface. This can be used in a lot of ways. Searing steaks is one of them. Cooking burgers is another. Opens up new capabilities. For example last night I made salmon cakes on a heavy skillet on the range--that was 8 cakes which I had to do in two batches. I could do this all in a single batch on a Blackstone. Another new capability would be essentially anything you can do on a griddle, which is a LOT. Including breakfast, I could be working eggs/bacon/potatoes all at once. And all that stuff that can be done on a griddle can be done outside, not trashing my stove every single time lol. Cons: Doesn't give me an extra outdoor "indirect" cooker. Doesn't give my wife an easy grilling option for anything that doesn't work well on a griddle. May require me to fire the kamado on nights when I would ordinarily not love to do it.

I dunno... Thoughts?

 

[Deadalus]

I have multiple gas grills and griddles. I take a portable grill and griddle camping, each has two burners. My home grill and griddle have 4 burners. Gas is convenient, keep your electronic ignition tuned or get the long butane lighters. Turn them on and walk away to heat up. Zones are helpful as you mentioned, whether meat or veggies or even toasted bread.

Area is important. With more space, easier to cook multiple items simultaneously. So speed. On my griddle, it gets so hot and with large amounts working , it's hard to get the customary grilling beer in!

Since we don't eat meat anymore and most of my restaurant experience with meat was grilling, I can't speak to meat on the griddle. I just joined a Blackstone group and they go whole hog/cow/poultry/fish! Visually, I'd guess some of the meats aren't as tender however. A griddle is great in that the food never falls through although it will manage to hit the grease trap with wildly disproportionate frequency! The heat output on a griddle can vastly outpace a stovetop saute/fry pan/griddle. Much better stir fry temp but slightly under restaurant wok BTU. (I have an outdoor wok too.) Griddles do great breakfast, pancakes, home fries, eggs, all at once like you mentioned. Cleanup is easy, make sure to season well (5-6 times initially) with higher smokepoint oil. It'll be nonstick going forward. I do that with cast iron too.

I did grill artichokes on this trip but no pics.

 

[Jonakr]

I got a 4 burner Blackstone prior to COVID. It's great for some meats, and lots of veggies. It also means we keep the heat out of the house during the summer. I have it at the back of my yard, so there's much more walking, and I can't both prep and cook at the same time.

I have a gas grill with a smoker box that does a decent low-n-slow for pork ribs, the Blackstone, but also a Ninja Foodi that will: sous-vide, crisp, air-fry, pressure cook, slow cook, etc, etc. This one gets the most use on a regular basis.

 

[505-Brewer]

Gas grill w a SS plate when you want to griddle? Some inexpensive options on Amazon.

 

[SFC Rudy]

Blackstone all the way. I still grill steaks and burgers on my Weber kettle and only use my Kamado’s (big Joe and classic) for smoking, cooking and pizza.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

+1 for the Blackstone. I've had mine for a few years and love it. Breakfast is fantastic and easy to cook for large groups, cleanup is a snap. Hibachi nights are a blast, flaming onion volcano is a fun trick haha.. my buddy has a small one and we fold it up and take it camping, it's versatile and a great addition for any outdoor cooking setup.

 

[whoaru99]

We have a cast iron griddle thingy that can be swapped onto the Weber gas grill in place of one of the normal grates. Drops right in place of the grate, no special fiddling around. Then, the cook surface is 50% griddle, 50% grill.

 

[drjayray]

Agree with cast iron flattop insert for your grill either swapout section or just place on top. Best of both. Use grill cover instead of others waiting for grill to cool and less rust/seasoning issues with rain after.

 

[whatstyleguidelines]

Given my firm belief that smash burgers are the best form of burger, but an absolute pain to cook 1-2 patties at a time in a pan, I would say blackstone. Or gas with the griddle thingy would work too, but I have no experience with those.

 

[Deadalus]

Join the Blackstone Griddle - Recipes & Videos group on FB. Warning, it'll flood your feed. I'm not sure if is because of spring and people breaking out their griddles or perhaps the weekend but posting activity is high. Added bonus there seems to be an unofficial rite to include the beer you are drinking on the griddle when posting pics of your griddle. Loads of beers I don't recognize.

 

[DonT]

Join the Blackstone Griddle - Recipes & Videos group on FB. Warning, it'll flood your feed. I'm not sure if is because of spring and people breaking out their griddles or perhaps the weekend but posting activity is high. Added bonus there seems to be an unofficial rite to include the beer you are drinking on the griddle when posting pics of your griddle. Loads of beers I don't recognize.

That group has a lot of Sh*itposts... lol. Not much in the way of recipes... I go to YT for that.
I second the Blackstone. Just picked one up a couple of months ago. I really enjoy cooking on it... great for hamburgers, veggies, breakfast type stuff.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Thanks everyone. Lots to think about. You've got me leaning towards the Blackstone but then y'all had to throw out "gasser with a griddle option" which is something to consider lol.

That said, there's just something about me that if I had to constantly reconfigure the gasser between grates and a griddle insert I think I might find myself less often using it. I actually have a half-moon cast iron griddle for the Big Joe that I don't really use. I also have one of those rectangular two-sided (flat/ridged) Lodge griddle pans that I don't really use.

I have a feeling I'd be much more inclined to use the Blackstone as a griddle which it'll do better than the Kamado, and on the occasions that I need a grill, well, I've already got two, so a gasser doesn't add anything except ease of use.

 

[Deadalus]

That group has a lot of Sh*itposts... lol. Not much in the way of recipes... I go to YT for that.
I second the Blackstone. Just picked one up a couple of months ago. I really enjoy cooking on it... great for hamburgers, veggies, breakfast type stuff.

It does, not worth reading, I haven't seen an actual recipe posted in real time but the pictures show quite a variety of ideas, including beers!

 

[Deadalus]

Thanks everyone. Lots to think about. You've got me leaning towards the Blackstone but then y'all had to throw out "gasser with a griddle option" which is something to consider lol.

That said, there's just something about me that if I had to constantly reconfigure the gasser between grates and a griddle insert I think I might find myself less often using it. I actually have a half-moon cast iron griddle for the Big Joe that I don't really use. I also have one of those rectangular two-sided (flat/ridged) Lodge griddle pans that I don't really use.

I have a feeling I'd be much more inclined to use the Blackstone as a griddle which it'll do better than the Kamado, and on the occasions that I need a grill, well, I've already got two, so a gasser doesn't add anything except ease of use.

I had considered buying one of BS's half grill half griddle options for camping but didn't and bought the 36". I knew it would be big to bring camping but I have a pickup. It got to be too much so I eventually was able to get a smaller more portable one. A friend of mine bought the combo one and felt each side was a bit too small.

I have a two cast iron griddles that fit over stove burners. They don't work well on flat top electric stoves. I've used them on the. grill but too small. I considered those larger metal plate ones but was able to get the dedicated griddle.

Storage is an issue whatever you get. Griddles don't do as well outside compared to a grill. A dry environment is favorable. Soft covers tend to leak eventually and can pool water, I recommend a hard cover if outside. I just don't have enough space currently in my garage to store my griddle so it is outside. I finally ponied up for a hard lid after too many failures of soft covers. Standing water is bad news for the seasoning.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Storage is an issue whatever you get. Griddles don't do as well outside compared to a grill. A dry environment is favorable. Soft covers tend to leak eventually and can pool water, I recommend a hard cover if outside. I just don't have enough space currently in my garage to store my griddle so it is outside. I finally ponied up for a hard lid after too many failures of soft covers. Standing water is bad news for the seasoning.

The good thing about Southern California is that it tends to be dry most of the year. And I'm thinking of the 36" version with hood.

Sad to hear the FB group is a bit of a cesspool. I don't have a FB account at all any more because I consider it all to be a bit of a cesspool. (Nowhere close to twitter, tho.)

 

[Deadalus]

The good thing about Southern California is that it tends to be dry most of the year. And I'm thinking of the 36" version with hood.

Sad to hear the FB group is a bit of a cesspool. I don't have a FB account at all any more because I consider it all to be a bit of a cesspool. (Nowhere close to twitter, tho.)

That's a nice one. I got mine either 5 or 6 years ago. It's a more basic 36", no lid and the side shelves are simpler. I don't know if there is a hack or if BS corrected this but my shelves are pretty unusable due to the side heat. Only the outside 1/3 to 1/2 of the shelf is somewhat cool enough to use. It spits a lot of heat out the sides. Any closer is hot enough to warp plastic, like an oil bottle or those ketchup like containers for water. I tend to forget and put stuff down where it's too hot so I mostly ignore the shelves. The extensions would be no problem I'd guess on that one you linked.

Someday I'd like a small covered patio for my outdoor cooking devices. I now have a hard cover and then I put the soft cover on it. Then I throw a rope around it because the wind eventually blows covers off. I have a small single car garage but my brew rig is in it and a couple power saws.

 

[passedpawn]

I think a blackstone is a great "augment" to a pellet pooper. I kinda do that with my kettle now. I love cooking certain things (burgs, steaks) on a griddle.

This Traeger Timrberline offering from Traeger is interesting - it's on my radar. Cost... well yea. It's kinda sweet. Something to think about. Induction heated pan on one side, pellet smoker on the other. Might bring some really nice options for doing steaks.

https://www.traeger.com/pellet-gril...abQ6bG4BPyD4hndQv0LCjiryP6XHYSBEaAnIfEALw_wcB

 

[jcav]

Thumbs up on the griddle! I have a four burner griddle that I got from Sam's Club many years ago. I still have it and I use that thing several times a week. I make the best French toast on it, eggs, pancakes, and I make a breakfast dish using corned beef hash cubed, with hash browns and an egg on top, that just sings! Burgers, brats, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwhiches etc, for lunch. For dinner we marinate chicken breasts in different marinades and throw some zuccinni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, on there as well. It makes the best stir fry, fried rice, steaks. pork chops, and even pizza. So the griddle is a great supplement to another type of barbecue grill or pellet smoker.

John

 

[hottpeper13]

I have a 14" Lodge pizza pan I use as a griddle on my 18" Vision Kamodo. Works well for a party of one or two. I get 4 smash burgers at a time, and with the slot for an electric starter I can put wood pieces in without upsetting the cooking area.